Propecia in Clinical and Aftermarket Trial
Propecia, the first pharmaceutical developed to treat male pattern baldness, performed well in both clinicial trials and after-market studies. Propecia received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 1997, and Propecia has been used continuously since by a steadily increasing population of aging men to treat hair loss, an aging biomarker, and a genetic tendency inherited from both the male and female parent.
First developed as a drug to treat Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (enlarging prostate), Propecia was remanufactured into a hair-loss treatment when researchers noted its remarkable ability to both prevent hair loss and re-grow new hair in test subjects in human clinical trials.
Clinical Trials
The studies were very specific. Sixty-five percent of men using Propecia for five years had an increased hair count, while all the men not using Propecia, but rather a placebo (pills containing no Finasteride, the key ingredient in Propecia) lost hair.
The baseline for these measurements was a hair count of 277 hairs inside a 1-inch diameter, measured at the anterior leading edge of the vertex area (the top of the head). Three control groups, or groups of observers, were used: patients (self-assessment), investigators (outside assessment), and a panel of dermatologists (expert assessment).
In a self-assessment of the benefits of Propecia, the men involved reported satisfaction with both the slowing loss of hair and an improvement in the appearance (read: thickness) of their hair. The investigators reported that a full 77% of the men using Propecia had increased hair growth. The dermatologists, using before-and-after photos that men from around the world had submitted, reported that 42% of men using Propecia had no further, visible hair loss, and 48% of the men using Propecia had improved hair thickness.
When using Propecia primary gains were seen in the anterior mid-scalp area (below the vertex, or top, toward the back of the head). Significant gains were also seen in the vertex area. Propecia has not been shown to significantly increase hair growth in the bitemporal area (the area of the scalp around, and primarily above, the ears).
After Market Trials
A five year study of Propecia duplicated the results. Sixty-five percent of men using Propecia had increased hair count. Men who started the trials with a placebo, and were later switched to Propecia, never achieved the same kind of hair re-growth as the men who were continuously on Propecia. Results confirmed that the greatest gains from Propecia are obtained in the first two years, and if no re-growth or slowing is obtained in the first year, male pattern baldness is likely not the cause of thinning hair. More importantly, stopping treatment with Procepia will cause the newly re-grown hair to fall out again within the year, sometimes with greater rapidity than before.
The message is clear: Propecia is a lifetime commitment, but at less than $60 a month, and with few side effects (2% of users, and primarily allergic reactions), Propecia is the treatment of choice for men experiencing the psychologically devastating loss of their hair.